Savannah

Darkness is welcoming as a blanket on a cold night, enveloping the city. Now is not the time to be caught, as the cries of the forgotten can already be heard. They remain hidden in the daylight, and the Sunshine Children knew it allowed them only a brief respite. The Sunshine Children took cover just as the last ray of the sunset evaporates. 

Lost to the daylight, the Forgotten rise and extract themselves from the cracks and crevices that once offered them shelter, no longer able to exist as day dwellers, and forced to recede into the night. 

Lost to all they knew, forgotten forever, and considered to be monsters, although they still look human. 

The sunshine children’s numbers decrease as the forgotten’s numbers increase, soon they will outnumber them. 

Savannah’s journey had begun long ago. How long exactly she couldn’t remember exactly as her memory of her past began to fade away with the wind it would seem. 

She vaguely recalled, following her friend Vincent through the maze at the Willows; a place where shrubs had grown so tall one couldn’t clearly know their position, once walking in. 

She chased him through to the other side, peeked out, and saw a group of five men. The way they were bobbing, she knew they were the (forgotten), a massive flu outbreak had mutated, or so her teacher told her, and began to change people into monsters overnight. They craved human brains, and then human flesh as brains were hard to come by. 

Doctors developed a vaccine for the flu, but it couldn’t help the thousands already infected. If bit by one of the forgotten, one became infected themselves, and became an eating machine capable of reducing the sunshine children's population.  

Turning to hide, Savannah stepped between two trees, and she saw Vincent, his head tilted toward the ground.

“Vincent,” Savannah whispered. “We must leave this place.” 

He looked up at her, but she couldn’t see his eyes as it had begun to get dark, too dark to be outside with the forgotten lurking so close. Suddenly he darted off, and she followed him through the maze of tall shrubs.  

Savannah began to feel frightened as Vincent seemed to be leading her in circles. Stopping as she heard the sound she dreaded, the sound nobody wanted close to them. Although the forgotten couldn't speak, they moaned horribly. One never knew if they did so for a reason or if they simply wanted to instill fear within them.

A light appeared from the other side of the shrubs, and she ran towards it. Vincent stood waiting for her, and five of the forgotten stood directly ahead of her. She tried to dart away, but Vincent stuck his foot out and she tripped, and she fell onto the ground.

“I’m so sorry Savannah,” Vincent whispered to her as he bit into the back of her neck.

She couldn’t remember anything for a long time afterward, couldn’t remember the pain after Vincent took the initial bite.

She remembered going home. She hobbled as all of the forgotten do, her yellow dress now blood stained. Putting a hand to her head, she felt her once straight blond hair knotted as if it were a rats nest. 

Her stomach began to rumble and tighten with what could only be described as incredible hunger, not for chocolate or potato chips, but flesh, human flesh. 

She knew exactly where to find it too. She stumbled home and quietly entered the apartment building she lived with her mother. She didn’t need to be buzzed in as the door stood ajar. Papers littered the hallway and stairs, and Savannah made her way up the steps carefully. Not a sound could be heard, and Savanna wondered if anyone remained.

The pain in her stomach moved her forward as she couldn't stand it anymore, and she couldn’t remember craving anything as much as this. 

Please be home, please don’t let me be too late. 

Reaching her apartment door, she glanced up at the door, focusing on the lock, and reaching into the pocket of her dress she pulled out a key. Pushing it into the lock, she turned it.

Click.

It sounded so loud and seemed to echo down the corridor, steps, and into the streets below. Savannah opened the door a crack and peered inside. Not seeing her mother she began to panic. 

Did she not wonder where I am or did she not care?

Looking around the apartment, she noticed it looked the same when last she saw it. The clean dishes were draining on the rack in the kitchen, and running her hand along the leather couch; she realized it's free of dust. 

Smiling, she padding across the wood floor, not making a sound. Her mother’s door stood open, and she lay on her side turned away from the door, her dark hair splayed across her pillow, used tissues surrounding her.

Savannah waited in anticipation, watching her mother’s body for a sign of movement. She held her breath, and her eyes locked into position. Waiting for any sign of life, and finally, she saw her mother take a deep breath.

Her stomach hurt so much that she could barely stand it, and she barely made it to the bed. Savannah crawled onto the bed, but her mother still didn’t move.  

“What are you waiting for Savannah?” Turning towards Savannah, her mother began to cry. “I’m so happy to see you baby, despite your condition. Does it hurt horribly.”

“My stomach hurts so bad mommy, please make it stop.”

Tears began to spill out of Fiona’s eyes. “I know you cannot cry so I will cry for you. I just want to know how bad it will hurt when you bite me?”

“You will only feel the first bite, after that you won’t ever feel again. When you awaken, the only pain you will feel is hunger, and it will make you do things that you never thought you could. You won’t care how you have to do it or who you do it to, but you must feed.” 

“I’m your mother, and I cannot let my baby starve, feed on me.”

Not waiting another moment as they seemed endless to Savannah, she bit into her mother’s head. 

She knew she shouldn‘t think this, as this is her mother, but her brains tasted so GOOD!